Drive to Aleppy for Backwater cruise in a traditional rice barge, or kettuvallam.
Rice barge is built from Jackfruit logs lashed together with coconut fibre and poled along the river.
Kumarakom, an island on Vembanad Lake, is reached by the backwaters.
Staying at The coconut Lagoon on the shore of the lake, only accessible by boat.

Tour of Jew Town, St Francis Church and the Chines Fishing Nets.
The synagogue built in 1568, rebuilt in 1664.
St Francis Church 1503, first European Church in India built by the Portuguese Admiral Albuquerque.
Chinese Fishing nets line N shore of Fort Kochi, gaceful sight suspended from their arched poles.
Possible excursions:
Dhobi Ghats
Kathakali Dance studio.

Drive to Coimbatore, second largest city in Tamil Nadu.
Rail journey on Ernakulam Express to Ernakulam.
Cochin (Kochi):
spread across islands between the Arabian Sea and the Keralan backwaters.
Evidence of Portuguese, Dutch, British settlers and the Chines (fishing nets).
Staying in Eighth Bastion, set in the heart of Fort Kochi.
The ancient streets are home to the Mattancherry Palace, the old spice warehouses, the Jewish Synagogue and many churches.

To the Serai Kabini, cottages in the small village of Karapura between Nagarhole National Park and Bandipur N.P.
Kabini, an area encircled by the Kabini River, is home to leopard, antelope, crocodile, tiger, cobra, python, gaur (Indian Bison) and herds of elephant!
Wild life viewing.

Heritage walk in Mysore to see the maharaja's contributions to the city and the later colonial influence of the British.
Town Hall 1884
Historic avenues
The fort, Mysore Park
The iconic Mysore Palace
125 year-old market - sweets, flowers, fruits and natural incense
Half day visit to Maharajah's Palace - Hindu and Saracenic architecture.
Evening food our
Evening visit to Maharajah's Palace illuminated by over 1,000 light bulbs

We meet the rest of the group who have arrived today.
Drive to Mysore visiting the island fortress of Snirangapatnam on the way.
The fort was besieged twice by the British. Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, was present oat the second siege in 1799.
Tipu's painted palace.
Gumbaz, the family mausoleum of the 18th century rulers, Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, 'The Tiger of Mysore'.
Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel with the backdrop of the magnificent Chamundi Hills.

The flight from Udaipur was good but the landing in Mumbai was questionable as we seemed to change directions multiple times once we hit the tarmac. We were excited.
Security before and after the flight was very heavy and a result of the terrorist attacks a few years ago when hundreds lost their lives. We always felt safe and appreciative of the checking points.
The drive to our hotel was slow because of heavy traffic but unlike all other places we've visited horn blowing was minimal and things seemed like 'organised chaos'.
Following the...

Another 5 hour drive got us to our next stopover, Udaipur, the 'City of Lakes'.
Along the way we visited Ranakpur and its Jain temples, one of the sects main holy places. Though over 500 years old the temples were in near perfect condition and extremely interesting.
The drive was an interesting one but did have its moments. On a few occasions we were confronted with oncoming traffic which normally would not have been any concern except these were in our lane and required some changes in direction.
Our driver simply made the appropriate...

Jodphur, the Blue City on the edge of the Thar Desert and the second largest city in Rajasthan ,was our next stopover and was impressive with its 10km long encircling protective wall and other fortifications.
When it came to fortresses Jodhpur's Mehrangarth Fort was excessive. The Pearl, the Flower and the Mirror Palaces were all located within its walls and all were impressive. That amazing complex was built in 1459AD and houses a fascinating display of elephant seats called 'howdahs' and an armoury full of all sorts of weaponry.
We made...

Next stop was Jaipur the capital of Rajasthan. Its red sandstone buildings definitely gave credence to it being known as the 'pink city'.
The mixture of Hindu and Mughal architecture fitted well together in the 1592 Amber Fort built from sandstone and marble.
The extremely impressive 5 storey, 953 window Hawa Mahal Palace got our attention. Ladies from the royal household were able to watch everyday life through the intricately carved honeycombed windows known as 'jharokhas”.
The architectural astronomical instrument collection of Jantar...

One of Gilli's dreams came true when we visited the Taj Mahal in Agra. It was magnificent and she was ecstatic. It took 20000 workers over 22 years from 1631 to construct the opulent mausoleum and it remains impressive.
A tonga ride was less impressive but fun. The tough little pony used for our personal ride was called upon to haul not only the four of us but also the driver, our guide and a 'hanger on'....plus the cart!
The Agra Fort built in 1666AD was another spectacular feature of the city which was the capital before the move of the...

It was certainly an abrupt change of scenery, temperatures, noise and smells when we arrived in India after our time in Europe but we were ready for the final leg of our travel year.
Our drinking partners from home, John and Gayle, had also arrived so it was all systems go.
A rickshaw ride through the narrow lanes of Old Delhi, once the capital of Islamic India, was exhilarating if not a little scary . Spice markets and shops of every kind crammed the minimal space.
New Delhi, created by the British Raj, had tree lined avenues and grand...